APPLETON - The Book Store is known among Fox Cities book lovers for its customer service. Thanks to some big news for the store, its owner hopes to serve its customers even better.
In mid-October, The Book Store is moving from its strip-mall location at 293 W. Northland Ave. in Grand Chute to a new building it bought at 801 W. College Ave.
"We desperately need more space," owner Kalan Bavinck said. "We have outgrown our shell a while ago. We need a little more breathing room."
At 4,800 square feet, the new space is almost twice as big as the current store. Fox Valley Grappling Club had been in the building but has moved to 945 Nicolet Rd. in Grand Chute.
"That's definitely a big increase," Bavinck said. "And we've been busier. So we want to have more staff on at the same time. And there's just not enough room for us to not be tripping over each other constantly."
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The Book Store carries both new and used books already, but Bavinck said the new location will give her space for more hardcover books.
She also hopes the College Avenue location — and its slower speed limit — will give the store a little more exposure than it has on speedy Northland Avenue.
"We're hoping with the lower speed that we'll get a little more foot traffic and people will actually get a chance to see the store rather than just fly by it it 50 miles an hour," she said.
Of course, Bavinck and her four staff members will continue their tradition of personal service.
"We're very, very, very helpful," she said. "We have a lot of customers that we're the only store they come to."
Contact Larry Gallup at (920) 996-7216 or lgallup@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @LarryGallup.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: The Book Store is on the move to a new Appleton location